Ephesians 5:14
Therefore He says:
“Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”
Faith alone pleases God! We believe what our eyes cannot see in the inherent goodness of man. God breathed life into His creation may we always respect that life that only He could give. This little light is inside us let it shine! Carla
Isaiah 60:1-3
Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
3 The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
Light is a metaphor for the salvation and spiritual awakening brought by the Messiah. On you, the second-person pronouns in this passage are feminine and singular. They refer to Zion/Jerusalem, which is personified as female (49:21–22; 51:18–20; 52:1–2). Israel was sent as a light to the nations. That role was transferred to the Servant-Messiah in 49:6. Nations are described streaming to Zion in 2:2–5 and 11:10. Faithlife Study Bible
Arise is addressed to Zion (verse 14). Zion is both the recipient of God’s light and the reflector of it. Isaiah’s prophecies often emphasize the contrast between light and darkness to symbolize the contrast between eternal life and death, salvation and judgment. As was the case during the Exodus from Egypt, darkness is on the wicked while God’s light is on His people (Exodus 10:23). Deep darkness elsewhere describes a cloud enfolding the glory of God (Exodus 20:21), and serves as a warning of His impending judgment (Jeremiah 13:16).
Gentiles is translated “nations” in 2:2–4. In the earlier passage, they come to heavenly Zion to be taught of God; here they come to bring tribute (verses 5, 11, 13). Isaiah foresaw a day when not only would the righteous remnant in Israel be devoted to God, but so would the redeemed from all peoples. Christ is the light to kings (42:6; 49:6) The NKJV Study Bible
Jeremiah 13:16
Give glory to the LORD your God
Before He causes darkness,
And before your feet stumble
On the dark mountains,
And while you are looking for light,
He turns it into the shadow of death
And makes it dense darkness.
Isaiah 49:23
Kings shall be your foster fathers,
And their queens your nursing mothers;
They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth,
And lick up the dust of your feet.
Then you will know that I am the LORD,
For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.”
Isaiah 58:8
Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Revelations 21:24
And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.
I have written before about scotoma, which can be translated, “selective blindness”. In other words, we see what we want to see. And because vulnerability—and the fear of being unworthy (whether feeling insufficient or blemished) unnerves me so, I often prefer to live with my blindness and hope for the best. (Of course, it's always for a good reason. After all, it seems to serve me well.)
Bottom line, this is a choice. We choose.
And in the end, our way of not-seeing (a way of not-choosing) is a way of not-living. But here’s the deal: in our increasingly polarized world, this blindness prevents us from being present. Or aware. Or compassionate. Whether it is to those close to me, or to injustice, or to joy, or to passion. When we are blind, we hide behind self-righteousness, narrow-mindedness, an unfair life, self-doubt, and fear.
However. This story is not about fostering regret.
This story is an invitation.
Yes.
An invitation to celebrate.
To celebrate that at the very center or core of every encounter is an interaction with the sacred.
With the divine.
With God.
And to remember, that where there is darkness, we can we sow light.
Because of a belief system? No. Because we can choose. And let us remember: We are not at the mercy of what we hide behind—whether it is expectations, assumptions, labels, intolerance, bias, fear or power.
This is about the choices we make, to determine the path forward.
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Viktor E. Frankl
A blessed Feast of the Epiphany to all. Or, to some, the day after the twelfth day of Christmas. Sabbath Moments
Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would lead His followers into all truth.
Does God really speak to us?
The answer to this question is absolutely yes! The challenge is hearing Him speak. And that often lies with us. We don't always make or find the time to be still and listen for His voice.
But God longs to teach us about His heart, His character, His love, and the abundance of promises He has woven through Scripture.John 16:13 says, "He will guide you into all the truth ... he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come." When we invest time in studying His Word, we learn that hearing God's voice may not fit in a neat little box or follow a specific formula, but it is actually quite simple. It's the same way we recognize the voices of the people we love: by knowing and spending time with them.Listening to and walking alongside them.
God graciously sets us up well to hear His voice through the gift of His Holy Spirit, who fills and seals us the moment we invite Jesus into our hearts (John 14:26; Ephesians 1:13). Before His death and resurrection, Jesus told His disciples, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13). Now the Spirit has come! The Spirit promises to speak to us, teach us, and direct us.
So the real question is not whether God will speak. But will we listen? Will we take advantage of the incredible opportunity we have to engage with our Creator, to hear and understand His voice? It all begins with positioning ourselves to hear from the Holy Spirit.
So if God feels distant, like you can't hear His voice, remember these truths:
God is not absent.
He is not distant.
His Holy Spirit lives within you.
He's waiting to meet with you.
You can tap into the Spirit today. Open His Word, listen, sit, remain, and receive. First5
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